Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Should I be concerned that my 4yo has lost weight?

31 replies

Drummingisfun · 03/10/2018 19:29

My 4yo DS has always been skinny. He never had a chubby stage as a baby.
He eats three good meals a day and has a varied diet, he eats most things. Everything we eat is home cooked totally from scratch, except the one meal a week that the kids eat fish fingers.

However, tonight in the bath he seemed more ribby than usual so we weighed him. He has lost 1.5kg since we last weighed him around the end of July (for car seat purposes). According to the nhs calculator he is on the 4th centile which they class as normal weight, but only just.

Should I be worried that he's lost weight? If it was my other DC (who is a little plump) I'd assume it was puppyfat dropping off, but DS doesn't seem to have any spare weight to lose.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 03/10/2018 19:37

Yes I'd be concerned. Can you increase portion size?

Seniorschoolmum · 03/10/2018 19:37

Has he lost weight or just gone a bit skinny. Is he growing upwards?

If he’s lost weight and hasn’t had a tummy bug, I’d query it with the local practice. Has he started school this term and been playing football every lunchtime?

Hidillyho · 03/10/2018 19:39

Has he just started school? If so, check with the school if they can monitor his eating. It could be he has too much fun at lunch that he doesn’t bother to eat.
Does he have an after school snack? If not I would also bring one with you when you do pick up

upsideup · 03/10/2018 19:41

Has he grown taller?

Canadalife · 03/10/2018 19:42

Has he grown upwards? A growth spirt can cause kids to thin out. Is he in other ways well....eating, sleeping etc? Any major life changes ie school start? A weight loss can be explained by many things....if you add up the various factors and are still worried then ask professional help.

redsummershoes · 03/10/2018 19:44

tbh I would observe for a couple of weeks. feed him as usual, maybe up the portion size a little and weigh again in a couple of weeks.
also measure him, weight alone doesn't say much, it's the height/weight ratio that counts.

Wardrobehamster · 03/10/2018 19:47

I believe all unexplained weight-loss warrants a call to the GP. I would make an appointment for him. Hopefully you’ll get one within the next week or two and you can monitor his food and exercise in the meantime.

When my DC grow taller they tend to put on weight, then when they’re growing they maintain the weight. Is it usual for them to lose weight as they grow taller?

Cheeeeislifenow · 03/10/2018 19:50

A check up won't hurt...even to put your mind at ease.

User9870 · 03/10/2018 19:54

I assume he has started school???
Ask school if he has been eating his meals? It could be that he is spending all day running around with his friends at school. Is he eating snacks? Drinking his milk? Speak to the teacher and see if they can keep an eye on it. And maybe go see a gp.

Original poster
Drummingisfun · 03/10/2018 19:56

He has thinned out, but he has also actually lost weight on the scales so it's not just that he looks thinner.
He is very very tall for his age but always has been so this shouldn't cause weight loss. Hasn't had a growth spurt recently.

He does have an after school snack every day but I can't give too much as he then doesn't eat dinner, which obviously negates the point of trying to get more into him with the snack. Morning snack at school is fruit provided by school, nothing else allowed, but he doesn't eat it. Don't blame him to be honest, yesterday it was dried out carrots.
He says he is eating his school lunches and staff haven't said otherwise, and they definitely have been telling parents when kids haven't eaten much.

My other half has just said maybe he's got a tapeworm Confused

OP posts:
marvellousnightforamooncup · 03/10/2018 19:57

Has he just started school? Could he be eating slowly and not finishing his lunches or running about more? Has he had any life changes that could explain it? If so I'd give him more snacks for a bit and see if he gains weight.

If there are no obvious explainations then GP for peace of mind.

marvellousnightforamooncup · 03/10/2018 19:59

Crossed post. FWIW I found my kids were distracted eating a school lunches and the staff don't monitor them super closely.

uppitydoodah · 03/10/2018 19:59

If he’s started school he may not be eating much for lunch.
My DD has told me that they can leave all of their lunch if they like.
At home I encourage her to eat an adequate portion.
When I sent packed lunches to preschool it would generally be 5 or 6 items and she would eat everything in there.
Last week at school she ate plain mash one day, a little bit of noodles one day, the potatoes from a roast dinner, a slice of pizza and all of her fish and chips.
In a week of lunches that’s probably a quarter of the calories she was eating before she started school.

iliketomoveitmoveitMOVEIT · 03/10/2018 20:00

He’s not also drinking more, tired and going to the toilet more, is he? Hopefully that’s absolutely not the case and he’s just having a growth spurt, but it’s always worth people being aware of the four T’s for Type 1 diabetes:

Tired
Thirsty
Thinner
Toilet

uppitydoodah · 03/10/2018 20:03

Oh and not a single time has a dinner lady told the teacher she’s not eaten much.
Luckily she’s very honest with me and will say “I only ate my mash as I didn’t like anything else”
I’ve seen the mash portions which are an ice cream scoop portion of mash. That’s barely any calories compared to a packed lunch of sandwiches, half a packet of crisps, a pot of berries, a cheese stick, a cereal bar and a smoothie that she’d have at preschool.

FullOfJellyBeans · 03/10/2018 20:03

I agree it's probably nothing but I'd probably at the very least keep an eye on him and increase portion size and make sure he has snacks or maybe add a smoothie or something into his routine. If it doesn't come back on I'd definitely pop in to the GP.

Wheresthel1ght · 03/10/2018 20:08

If he has just started school I would assume it is the sudden increase in manic running about 3 times a day, small portions at school dinners and probably not eating it all because no one else is. My dd doesn't have dinners as she won't eat them but has a pack lunch. When she first started school she had 1 slice of bread as a sandwich a small pack of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink. She came out of school starving and would eat mountains and still eat her dinner although we did push tea time back to 6. She dropped about 2kg between starting in September and October half term.

I now give her a much bigger lunch, so she has 2 slices of bread, crisps, fruit, a yoghurt, a cake bar/muesli bar and a drink and still wants food when she comes out. She now just about maintains. She is a very fussy eater and we have battled a lot over food.

However, if you have concerns you are always better to speak to a gp or the nurse practitioner at your surgery for a medical investigation. There is always that small chance that there is something bigger going on.

Wheresthel1ght · 03/10/2018 20:09

I should say dd is 5, she has never been chubby, never did the chubby baby thing and even now only weighs 16.1kg

firstworldproblems2018 · 03/10/2018 20:13

School lunch portions tend to be quite small so it could just be that. However 1,5 kg is quite a lot for a child that age so I would take a trip to the GP just to put your mind at rest. My DD lost some weight a couple of years ago, (she was 7) and randomly started wetting the bed and seeming more tired than usual, as well as drinking lots of water. I was terrified of Type 1 diabetes, but she was just run down and had a low level bug of some kind. Definitely worth taking him in case.

WhirlwindHugs · 03/10/2018 20:17

Can you ask to contact the school nurse? Unexplained weight loss or stopping gaining weight is something that our GP said it was important to check out.

InDubiousBattle · 03/10/2018 20:20

I would definitely get this weight loss checked out, it's around 3.5 lbs I think which seems a lot to lose in a couple of months.

Jessiemay88 · 03/10/2018 20:21

Can you get a stool sample to docs for worms. Along with checking other potential causes

badg3r · 03/10/2018 20:34

I would go to the doctor. When you weighed him for car seats was it also bare and same time of day? Digital or analogue scales? 1.5kg is still too much to be accounted for by just these factors though I would imagine.

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 03/10/2018 20:41

They can plateau a bit and go skinny but I'd be concerned at that much weight loss at that age. If they've had a tummy bug and lost a little that's one thing but over a period of time that's a lot and must be quite high percentage.

I'd check your scales are correct and also where did you last weigh him? Eg if health visitors he would have had clothes on so that may account for some of the difference.

I wouldn't have thought he'd been at school for so long that he'd have lost so much from not eating lunch

Does he like school food? If he says it's OK then he is probably eating enough.

I'd give it a week, ask school to monitor his eating, check your scales, and keep a food diary then go to the GP to get him checked out

redsummershoes · 03/10/2018 20:44

is it the same scales?
same time of day?
are the scales on a hard, flat surface? them bein on a carpet/rug can make the same weight vary a lot.